The Neighborhood

Offering a fun and magical way for diehard gardeners, hobbyists and dabblers alike, fairy gardening has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years. To help you get started (or give you inspiration), we’ve talked to some of our “fairy best” customers about their own fairy gardening forays!

Miniature Fairy Garden Tale #2: Genie S., Valparaiso, IN

Genie is a garden enthusiast whose professional background includes terms with the Nature Conservancy and FEMA. Now retired, Genie resides in Indiana on a professionally landscaped lot overlooking 400 acres of wetland.

Fairy Gardening: Fun For All Ages

Genie's interest in fairy gardening began when she help a neighbor’s kids build fairy gardens at her home. “Fairy gardens are fun for kids,” she says. “It’s always good to entertain them and to instill in them a desire to respect the environment,” she added.

While Genie enjoys sharing her love of gardening with her grandkids, “It’s really for me,” she admits. She enjoys working with miniatures and the surprises they bring. In addition to miniatures, Genie enjoys a Plow & Hearth whirligig in her garden and has her eye on our Pixie Tree, new in Spring.

Big Plans For A Miniature Garden This Spring

Genie has also done several indoor miniature gardens in her home over the years, but has since given them away to friends. Now armed with the Plow & Hearth fairy homes and accessories collected from other places, she has big plans for her little fairies this spring. “I went out and bought a bunch of stuff. Now I’m letting it speak to me to help me find the best way to use it.”

While the garden accessories wait in the garage to see the spring grass, Genie has taken photos of the area with the snow on it to illustrate the “before” stage. She has plans to keep a photo diary of the full construction, where she will enlist the help of her grandchildren. Rather than one spot in the garden, Genie envisions weaving enchanted touches throughout the property. “I always like it when you turn a corner and see something unexpected,” she says, adding that she will hide fairy things in trees and bushes, as well as in planters on her deck.

Always A Learning Process

Seeking more information about the enchanted world of fairy gardening, Genie says, “Whenever I hear about a fairy garden workshop, I’m usually there,” adding that miniature gardening “is like decorating for St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas, except you don’t need a holiday!” She noted one workshop where the leader made a fairy house, garden swing and birdbath, and used a shell for a fairy-worthy sink!

Her advice to other miniature gardeners: “Look for consistency of scale, and be conscious of your plants and where they come up,” she says.